NE Guitars

DANIEL TAYLOR 

Musician & Entertainer in Focus 

+ 

NUX PEDALS REVIEW 

NUX put to the test by NE Guitars 

NEGUITARS 

August 2024 Issue No:3 

In Association With 

& Sponsored By 

PAUL ROSE 

Rated as One of the Best Guitarists on the 

Planet, in Conversation With NE Guitars 

£4.99 

THE TOY DOLLS 

Olga from Punk Supergroup, Talks 

About the Band’s Incredible Journey 

DARTS 

1970’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Legends Back in 

the North East Nearly Five Decades On 

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

Once in 

a while... 

Unit 6 , Front Street , Industrial Estate 

Shotton Colliery. DH6 2ND 

07546 656143 

E. sales@eastdurhamguitars.com 

W. www.eastdurhamguitars.com 

...Perfection 

Happens 

Hand crafted in the North East of England

NE GUITARS 

Editorial 

Paul George - Editor 

Jane Shields - Assistant Editor 

& Social Media Manager 

East Durham Guitars 

Martin Dixon - Director / 

Luthier 

Dave Olsen - Director / 

Luthier 

Mark Taylor - Marketing 

Manager 

Ricky Hutchinson - Luthier / 

Technician 

Unit 6 , Front Street 

Industrial Estate 

Shotton Colliery 

DH6 2ND 

07546 656143 

E. sales@eastdurhamguitars.com 

W. www.eastdurhamguitars.com 

NE Guitars and East Durham 

Guitars would like to thank 

all contributors, authors, 

photographers, advertisers 

and all of our readers and 

subscribers. Without you 

this publication would not be 

possible. 

All intellectual property rights, 

including copyrights, trademarks 

rights and database rights with 

respect to the information, texts, 

images, logos, photographs and 

illustrations NE Guitars and with 

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of the website are protected by 

intellectual property rights and 

belong to NE Guitars or entitled 

third parties. The reproduction 

or making available in any way or 

form of the contents of the website 

without prior written consent from 

NE Guitars is not allowed. 

WELCOME... 

I have to admit, I am so loving 

running this magazine. After the 

last couple of months, I am bowled over 

by the incredible support, comments and 

interaction NE Guitars Magazine has 

experienced. What started of as a local 

rag designed to support local North East 

guitarist and businesses with the hope of 

pulling the odd guitar star across for a sneaky interview, has quickly worked 

out so much bigger than we thought. All I can say is, let the good times roll. 

Let’s start of by having a few words about the Hillbilly Vegas tour. We 

met up with the lads on 18th July at Trillions, Newcastle and were 

totally blown away. We even had a special guest on stage, Lorraine 

Crosby who famously backed up the late, great Meatloaf on ‘I’d do 

anything for love’. The guys were awesome and we’re looking forward 

to their return in the Autumn. 

So this month, we welcome a whole plethora of stars to our pages. 

We have the very brilliant Paul Rose, one of the most stunning 

guitarists you will ever witness, we have ‘Darts’, one of my all time 

favourites and, may I say, a tick off my bucket list. We have the 

incredible punk band ‘The Toy Dolls’, we have Godfather of the 

NWOBHM, Steve Thompson and finally but certainly not least, in 

our new variety section, we have the multi-talented Daniel Taylor. 

Plus we have the latest news, best of the gigs for August and a whole 

lot more besides. 

We are also very proud to be supporting Maggie’s Cancer Centre as 

our new charity friends. They will be benefiting from the Darts gig 

in Newcastle this month thanks to the band and one very nice chap, 

Michael Jeffels. Sorry if I embarrass you here Michael, but I’d love the 

readers to know just what a wonderfully kind and incredible man you 

are. He has been the organisation heartbeat behind this wonderful 

event and we shall be supporting him, Maggie’s and of course, Darts. 

But more than that we would like to continue our support with 

Maggie’s Cancer Centre as our adopted charity for the foreseeable 

future. 

So all I can say now is enjoy August’s edition of NE Guitars Magazine. 

Paul & The NE Guitars Team 

Issue No:3 August 2024 

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 03

Contents 

August 2024 Issue No:3 

P12 

NUX AUDIO: 

Pedals and Amps 

We’ve got a couple of pedals to try out 

this month along with a brilliant little 

amp which I loved. Read more inside. 

P26 

STEVE THOMPSON: 

The Godfather of NWOBHM 

One of the most influential figures on the 

North East music scene in recent times 

talks to us about his incredible career. 

P36 

DARTS 

Back in the North East 

eaturing one of the best Rock ‘n’ Roll 

bands to come out of the 79’s and 80’s. 

Saxophonist, Horace Trubridge tells all. 

04 www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

In Focus 

On The Cover Paul Rose 

One of the most talented guitarists of our time 

in converstion with NE Guitars in an exclusive 

interview. 

16 Killaz UK 

The No:1 tribute to The Killers chats to us about 

their great career and their fabulous live shows. 

26 Steve Thompson 

Hailed as the Godfather of the New Wave of 

British Heavy Metal tells us of his music, his career 

as a songwriter and producer 

36 Darts 

Rock ‘n’ Roll giants return to the North East after 

almost 50 years. Horace Trubridge aka Horatio 

Hornblower tells us their story. 

42 The Toy Dolls 

Top 70’s/ 80’s Punk band still kicking and wowing 

crowds decades later. Olga tells all. 

46 Daniel Taylor 

Star of Stage and Screen, not to mention singer/ 

songwriter, fresh back from Glastonbury tells us of 

his stunning career. 

Reviews 

12 NUX Audio 

We check out pedals and a great little amp from 

NUX. Read our reviews 

Features 

06 NE Guitars News 

All the latest international, national and local 

guitar news. 

14 Going in to the Studio 

White Wolf Recording Studio offers tips and tricks 

to make your recording session a success 

32 Mark Abrahams Signature Model 

The brand new Mark Abrahams Signature Model 

by East Durham Guitars in focus 

34 Local Heroes -An Evening of 

Fingerstyle Guitar 

Connor Thomas and David Browne Murray in the 

North East and blowing minds 

64 North East Gigs Board 

The best of gigs around the North East 

ON THE COVER 

Paul Rose 

Page 18 

ADVERTISE WITH US 

With our uniquely huge coverage around the 

North East, it is very easy to see why advertising 

your business in our pages is so worthwhile. It 

also doesn’t have to cost the earth. Check out 

our low rates at our website here: 

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk/advertise 

Or why not give us a call or email us and talk to 

us about our deals and your specific needs. 

Tel: 07546 656143 Email: editor@neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 


NE GUITARS NEWS 

STOP PRESS The Latest Guitar News From Around The North East STOP PRESS 

Legendary Blues Musician John Mayall Dies, 90 

John Mayall, British Blues 

legend and founder of 

‘The Bluesbreakers, passed 

away “peacefully” on July 

22, after battling “health 

issues” that prevented him 

from touring. 

Mayall had only just been 

confirmed for induction 

into the Rock and Roll Hall 

of Fame, with the ceremony 

set for October 19 in 

Cleveland, Ohio. 

In 2005, Mayall was 

appointed Officer of the 

Order of the British Empire 

(OBE) in the Honours List. 

Noting his accomplishment 

during a storied career, 

the statement by his 

family added: “An 

appointed OBE (Officer 

of the British Empire), 

2x Grammy-nominated 

artist and recent inductee 

to the Rock and Roll 

Hall of Fame, John is 

survived by his 6 children, 

Gaz, Jason, Red, Ben, 

Zak and Samson, 7 

grandchildren and 4 

great-grandchildren. He 

is also surrounded with 

love by his previous wives, 

Pamela and Maggie, his 

devoted secretary, Jane, 

and his close friends. We, 

the Mayall family, cannot 

thank his fans and long-list 

of band members enough 

for the support and love we 

were blessed to experience 

secondhand over the last 

six decades.” 

In the 1960s, he formed 

John Mayall and the 

Bluesbreakers, members 

of which included Cream’s 

Eric Clapton and Jack 

Bruce, Peter Green, Mick 

Fleetwood and John 

McVie, of Fleetwood 

Mac fame, plus legendary 

drummer Aynsley Dunbar 

and Mick Taylor (formerly 

of The Rolling Stones). 

Read more at our website 

Radiohead Guitarist ‘Out of Danger’ following 

Intensive Care Hospital Emergency 

Guitarist and composer 

Jonny Greenwood is “out 

of danger” after intensive 

care medical treatment, 

according to a statement 

released by one of his 

musical projects The 

Smile. 

Greenwood, who 

composed movie scores 

for The Phantom Thread, 

Spencer, There Will Be 

Blood and The Power 

of the Dog in addition 

to his long-time status 

as lead guitarist and 

keyboard player with 

Radiohead, will soon be 

returning home from 

hospital, but The Smile – 

which sees Greenwood 

on stage with 

Radiohead bandmate 

Thom Yorke – has 

cancelled forthcoming 

engagements. The 

statement read: “A few 

days ago, Jonny became 

seriously ill from an 

infection that needed 

emergency hospital 

treatment, some of 

it in intensive care. 

Mercifully he is now out 

of danger and will soon 

return home. We have 

been instructed by the 

medical team in charge 

of Jonny’s care to cancel 

all engagements until he 

has had time to make 

a full recovery.”. Read 

more on the story here: 

www.msn.com 


Wishbone Ash guitarist, 

Mark Abrahams took 

possession of his brand 

new, custom made single 

cut junior guitar on 

Saturday 20th July at East 

Durham Guitars, Shotton 

Colliery. The guitar was 

hand built by EDG over 

a period of four months 

to the guitarists personal 

requirements. The body 

sport an off-white colour 

scheme and has been 

modelled on a similar 

style to the ‘Les Paul’ 

Junior but with unique 

differences such as a 

single Kloppmann P90 

pickup, a compensated 

wraparound bridge and 

a mahogany body and 

neck. 

The Wishbone Ash 

guitarist is currently on 

a Summer break from 

touring and is soon 

to hit the road again 

with two shows in the 

North East in October, 

including The Playhouse, 

NEWS 

EDG Presents Mark Abrahams With New Guitar 

Whitley Bay on 1st 

October followed by the 

Arc, Stockton on 2nd 

October. 

During his visit to EDG, 

Mark took some time 

to meet fans, give out 

autographs and even a 

private demonstration 

of his guitar skills 

including an impromptu 

rendition of Gary Moore’s 

Midnight Blues. Mark 

left EDG ‘Totally blown 

away’ by the quality of 

the instrument and has 

endorsed a limited edition 

signature model on sale 

exclusively from EDG. 

Oklahoma’s Hillbilly Vegas Rocks Newcastle’s Trillians 

US Southern Rock stars, 

Hillbilly Vegas wowed fans 

during July at Newcastle’s 

top music venue, Trillians. 

HBV rocked the packed 

venue with some of 

their most famous hits 

including ‘Shake It Like A 

Hillbilly’ as well as many 

others. 

Joining HBV on stage, 

as a guest appearance 

was Lorraine Crosby, 

the amazing voice 

behind Meat Loaf ’s ‘I’d 

do anything for Love’. 

Also in support was the 

‘Howling Tides’ a superb 

four piece UK rock band 

who opened up the show 

with an hour of their own 

brand of Rock. Hillbilly 

Vegas as scheduled to 

return later this year. 

Competition Winner Receives Guitar 

The first competition 

to be run by NE 

Guitars and East 

Durham Guitars has 

been won by Lee 

Etherington from 

Hartlepool. The 

competition for a 

Stagg ‘S’ type electric 

guitar was run 

throughout July as a 

promotion for ‘Stagg 

Guitars’, EDG and NE 

Guitars Magazine. 

Also presented with 

the guitar, was a pack 

of 10-49 D’Addario 

XS strings. Lee, who 

performs on the local 

North East circuit, 

Acoustic Buffoonery, 

a three piece acoustic 

band with a unique 

humorous twist. 

Further competitions 

are being run 

throughout August 

including a ‘six hour’ 

recording package 

up for grabs courtesy 

of White Wolf 

Recording Studio. 

EDG have also run a 

competition for a ‘Day 

Set up course’ won by 

Brian Robinson. 


60s rock legend, 79, ‘immediately retires’ from 

touring after suffering stroke 

Rod Argent has 

been forced to retire 

from touring after 

suffering a stroke. 

The 79-year-old, 

who founded legendary 

rock band 

the Zombies, was 

recently hospitalized 

after falling ill. 

The keyboard 

player and vocalist’s 

management team 

have confirmed that 

he has been advised 

to sit out future 

performances on 

doctors’ orders, and 

will need ‘several 

months’ to rest and 

recover. 

‘Rod had recently 

returned home 

from a triumphant 

Zombies tour of 

the UK, and spent 

a weekend in 

London with his 

beloved wife Cathy, 

celebrating his 

79th birthday and 

their 52nd wedding 

anniversary, before 

the stroke occurred,’ 

the statement reads, 

via Variety. 

‘He was hospitalized 

overnight, and 

released the next 

day. Doctors have 

advised that Rod 

will need several 

months of rest and 

recuperation. 

Moby Grape Guitarist and Founding Member 

Jerry Miller Dead at 81 

Guitarist Jerry 

Miller, a founding 

member of 

the influential 

psychedelic rock 

group Moby 

Grape, died 

Sunday at age 81. 

Miller’s grandson, 

Cody, confirmed 

the musician’s 

death to Rolling 

Stone. A cause 

of death was not 

immediately 

available. 

Miller was one of 

three guitarists in 

the original Moby 

Grape lineup, and 

his lead parts were 

a major part of 

the group’s widely 

admired sound. 

“His playing 

was never selfindulgent, 

and 

his soloing was 

propulsive, always 

aware of where 

the song was 

headed,” Rolling 

Stone’s David 

Fricke wrote in a 

2010 feature that 

included Miller in 

his list of his 100 

Greatest Guitarists 

at Number 68. 

Unit 6, Wheatley Hill Ind Est. 

Front Street,Wheatley Hill, 

Co. Durham DH6 3QZ 

Tel: 07531 536080 

Email: john@white-wolf.studio 


NEWS 

AUGUST COMPETITION 

WIN! A 6 Hour Recording Package 

(4 Hours Recording, 2 Hours Mixing) 

Courtesy of White Wolf Professional Recording Studio 

Open to all bands, trio’s, duo’s or solo artists 

To Enter: 

Simply Subscribe to NE Guitars Magazine and, in no more than 

50 words, tell us why you would like to record with White Wolf. 

Email your answers to editor@neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 

Competition closes on 10th August 2024 

Recording dates available 11 August - 31 August 2024 only 

Unit 6, Wheatley Hill Ind Est. 

Front Street,Wheatley Hill, 

Co. Durham DH6 3QZ 

Tel: 07531 536080 

Email: john@white-wolf.studio 


TH 

ANNIVERSARY 

Friday 16th August 

MAIN STAGE 

Saturday 17th August Sunday 18th August 

JACK SAVORETTI 

SOUL II SOUL 

ADMT 

SCAM FENDER 

BALTIC 

Friday 16th August 

CRAZY P 

SOUNDSYSTEM 

JIMPSTER 

ABEL 

PETE WHARRIER 

Saturday 17th August 

THE CHARLATANS 

HEAVEN 17 

SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR 

THE SHERLOCKS 

CORELLA 

PARA ALTA 

CORTNEY DIXON 

TREEHOUSE ARENA 


CALLUM BEATTIE 

KEVIN & PERRY 

DJ SET 

GOOD COP BAD COP 

THE DOLLY SHOW 

HAUNT THE WOODS 

BEAR PARK 

BLOSSOMS 

JAMIE WEBSTER 

LIGHTNING SEEDS 

FLEETWOOD BAC 

NEW YORK BRASS BAND 

HAYLEY McKAY 

Sunday 18th August 

REVEREND & 

THE MAKERS 

TOM MEIGHAN 

SWIM DEEP 

SHELF LIVES 

BLACKOUT THE ARCADE 

ABBIE OZARD 

THE VOLUNTEARS 


RICHY AHMED 

THE 

ALISHA 

LA LA 

LINDEN C 

MYLES O’BRIEN 


KIMMI 

DAVE LYNAS 

SARAH JOHNSONE 

SOPHIE GORDON 

COMEDIANS 

DAN EVANS MC 

STEVE ROYAL 

EL BALDINIDO 

SILKY 

COURTYARD 

ACOUSTIC 

STAGE 

PLUS 

FISHBURN BRASS BAND 

& BUSKING JOE 

PERFORMING 

BOTH DAYS 

DJ’s performing over the weekend 

GRAEME PARK / BRANDON BLOCK / JEREMY HEALY / TONY HUTCHINSON / KEITH MARTIN 

MIKE JOHNSON / PETER WHARRIER / MARK HUTCHINSON / SISTA PAULA / SIMON GIBB 

HOLLY HUTCHINSON / KEV CANNON / STEVIE PATTINSON / KARL FRAMPTON + more to be added 

BOOGIE WONDERLAND STAGE 

with DJ Murray Mint & Guests 

6 Stages / Cocktail & Pimms Bar / Champagne Bar / Real Ale Tent / Rhum Emporium / Themed Bars / BBQ Fire Pit / World Street Food 

Fun Fair Rides / Children’s Arena / Variety Shows / Magic Shows / Drop In Workshops / Punch & Judy / Pop Up Spa / Walkabout Acts 

Morning Yoga / Fishburn Brass Band / Camping / Glamping 

Book Tickets @ www.hardwickfestival.co.uk 

Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, Co.Durham, TS21 2EH 

NEVER DULL 


FINN FORSTER 

MAIUS MOLLIS 

ED COSENS 

TALL SHAVES 

COMEDIANS 

LEE KYLE MC 

MARKUS BIRDMAN 

CHARMAINE HUGHES 

DUNCAN OAKLEY 

INTO THE WOODS 

DJ Arena

Subscribe! 

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HEAD TO OUR 

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www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 


REVIEW 

Tape Echo NDD-7 NTU-3 FLOW Mighty Lite BT 

So with East Durham Guitars being an outlet for NUX, I decided to raid their shelves 

and put a couple of pedals and a small amplifier to the test. A few weeks later, I have 

the results. So without further ado, let’s see how they got on. 

So before I begin, the three bits 

of kit have been picked out for 

specific reasons which I will 

explain as I go. Let’s begin with 

the NDD-7 Tape Echo pedal. 

NDD-7 Tape Echo 

The reason why I tested this out 

quite simply is because I’m a 

Gretsch playing Rockabilly dude 

and I am constantly looking for 

that original vintage sound. 

Well, out of the box, the pedal 

is sturdy, attractive and easily 

laid out. The black and green 

colouring does give it the look 

that works on my pedal board. 

Simple input-output configuration 

powered by the normal 9v power 

supply, again this fitted quite 

comfortably on my chain. 

The controls feature a Bass and 

Treble control with Time, Repeat, 

Level and Reverb below to adjust 

the echo to your requirements. 

The left foot button controls a loop 

feature (I didn’t use this, never got 

my head around them) while the 

right foot button controls the on/ 

off feature. 

So my particular sound demand 

the slapback effect that was 

produced in the Sun Recording 

Studio in Memphis. Very difficult 

thing to do. The NDD-7 got close 

to the sound I was after but not 

quite. I have to stress here that 

I’m just talking about my personal 

taste, not the performance of 

the pedal which did what it is 

supposed to do. I did find it a 

little tricky setting it up but once 

done, the quality was very good. 

In the short time I had the NDD- 

7 I was impressed but it wasn’t as 

good as the one I am using on my 

personal pedal board. That’s not 

to say it’s not a good pedal, it is! It 

is well worth the money and given 

the time to set up properly, it will 

be well worth the investment. 

Rating 8 / 10. 


NUX 

NTU - 3 Flow 

So I grabbed this pedal because 

I needed a no-mess, easy to 

use tuner. Being an abuser of 

tremolo’s and Bigsby’s, I am 

constantly pulling my poor strings 

out of tune so I decided to see if 

this little baby could do the job. 

Again, out of the box, it is sturdy, 

attractive and simple to use. It 

comes in a lovely retro blue colour 

which I personally loved. Not 

much to say about the connections 

and the controls, again very easy, 

in, out, power socket and on/off 

pedal. You don’t really need more 

than that, do you? The display is 

large and bright and very easy to 

understand. When the two white 

arrows point to the middle, your 

string is in tune. Below the tuning 

display is the sting and pitch, 

again nice and big and bright. 

When you finish, click the button 

and it goes off so you can get back 

to playing. 

Not much else to really say about 

it. Let’s face it, it’s a tuner and 

we all need them. But this one is 

really good. In fact, I’ll go a little 

further, I loved it. It’s simplicity, 

construction, good looks and big 

display were just what I was after. 

A really good tuning pedal that 

kept me in tune throughout a hardworked 

gig. If I had a concern, it 

would be the price tag. At £50 it 

seems a little pricey for a simple 

tuner but should you go with this, 

you will get what you pay for. 

Would I buy one? Oh yes, in fact I 

intend adding one to my collection 

in the very near future. 

Like the NDD-7, it does what it 

says on the tin, looks good, keeps 

everything simple and we have no 

problems recommending this pedal 

to our readers. Rating 9.5/ 10 

Mighty Lite BT 

OK, why on earth, I hear you say 

are you reviewing a small little amp 

like this? Well, the answer to that 

question is, it’s bloody good. Of 

course this is not a replacement for 

amps you use at gigs but that’s not 

what it is for. 

Open the box and you are greeted 

with a small, attractive, light unit 

in striking black and red with 

a boot load of features. On the 

top is four simple controls, Gain, 

volume, Tone, Delay/ Reverb. It 

has a man 1/4 inch jack input with 

an Aux in and headphone socket. 

It also has Clean/ OD/ Distortion 

settings which are nice and easy 

to switch between. In addition it 

is Bluetooth and USB chargeable 

as well as powered by a mains 

supply. But here is the winner, it is 

only 3w but incredibly loud for it’s 

small size. This little box is simply 

brilliant and punches well above it’s 

weight. It is also very reasonably 

priced at less than £100. 

The big thing that struck me, is 

this is the perfect amp for busking. 

Small, portable, loud, great sound 

and room for your backing tracks. 

This gives a whole new dimension 

to street entertainment. So let’s 

cut this short, I love this. I cannot 

fault it and we highly recommend 

it especially for, as I previously said, 

our street buskers. 

Rating 10/ 10 

Thank you NUX for allowing us 

to review your products. Find out 

more on NUX and check out their 

full range of pedals and equipment 

right here: 

www.nuxaudio.com 


STUDIO TIPS 

So We Are Going Into The Studio 

Article by John M Tobin 

Owner of White Wolf Recording Studio 

Meet our resident recording 

engineer, John Tobin. John 

is the proprietor of White 

Wolf Recording Studio in 

Wheatley Hill,, Stanley. Years 

of expertise and experience 

is the key ingredient to 

the standards White Wolf 

providing its clients with the 

very best audio recordings. 

Check him out. 

Unit 6, Wheatley Hill Ind Est, 

Front Street, Wheatley Hill, 

Stanley, Uk DH6 3QZ 

www.white-wolf.studio 

07531 536080 

Hi everyone at NE Guitars 

Magazine … I just thought it 

might be useful to drop a few 

hints on how to approach getting 

your sounds recorded really well 

in a professional recording studio. 

Some of you don’t need these 

tips… but I am absolutely sure a 

lot of you do. 

Embarking on a journey to a 

music recording studio for the 

first time can be both exciting and 

nerve-racking for any band or 

artist. It marks a significant step 

towards capturing your musical 

creations in a professional setting, 

and proper preparation is key 

to making the most out of this 

experience. 

Before stepping into the recording 

studio, ensure that every band 

member or artist knows their 

parts inside out. This preparation 

minimises the number of takes 

required, saving both time and 

money. Rehearsing thoroughly 

also helps to build confidence, 

which can translate into a better 

performance. 

In addition to individual practice, 

make sure to rehearse as a group. 

This helps to iron out any timing 

issues and ensures that everyone is 

in sync. Consider recording your 

rehearsals to identify areas that 

need improvement. This can also 

help in getting used to the pressure 

of being recorded. 


Not all recording studios are 

created equal. Research and 

choose a studio that fits your 

budget and meets your technical 

requirements. Consider factors 

like the studio’s equipment, 

acoustics, and the experience of 

the recording engineer.. That’s 

ME !!! So I’m LTCL .. BA Music 

Hons.. M.A Professional Media 

Composition . 

Visit the studio beforehand to get 

a feel for the space. This can help 

in making sure that everyone is 

comfortable and that the studio 

environment is conducive to 

creativity. Discuss your project in 

detail with the studio manager to 

ensure that they can meet your 

needs. 

Make sure all your instruments 

and equipment are in top 

condition before the recording 

session. This includes tuning 

instruments, checking cables, 

and ensuring that all electronic 

equipment is functioning properly. 

Bringing spare strings, picks, and 

batteries can save time and hassle. 

Warming up is essential for 

delivering a great performance. 

Vocalists should do vocal 

exercises to prepare their voices, 

Studio Tips 

while instrumentalists should 

practice scales and other warmup 

routines. This helps to prevent 

strain and ensures that you can 

perform at your best. Spend at 

least 15-30 minutes warming up 

before you start recording. This 

can also be a good time for the 

band to do a quick run-through 

of the songs to get into the groove. 

Proper warm-up routines can 

make a significant difference in 

the quality of your recordings. 

So there we go! 

I think I’ve touched base on the 

basics 

John M Tobin (Whitewolf) 


IN FOCUS 

We love chatting to the 

big stars which also 

includes the top tribute 

bands touring the 

UK. This month is no 

exception as we feature 

Killaz UK, the UK’s top 

tribute to the Killers. 

Article by Paul George 

& Killaz UK 

Images Courtesy of Killaz UK 

The Killaz UK are 

undoubtedly the top tribute 

to The Killers in the UK. 

Famed for their authenticity to the 

original band, their performances 

are of the highest quality both in 

sound and experience. 

The Killaz UK can interact with 

crowds in a completely organic 

way, just like the Killers. For 

further authenticity, The Killaz 

UK bring a replica of the Killers 

famous ‘K’ sign, complete 

with multi-channel light setup 

synchronised to the show. 

As a 5 piece band, The Killaz 

UK create a powerful multilayered 

sound that brings to life 

even the most complex Killers 

songs. Recreating performances 

of hits such as ‘Mr. Brightside’ 

and ‘When You Were Young’ and 

even extended live versions of 

songs such as ‘Human’ and ‘Smile 

Like You Mean It’ The Killaz UK 

ensure the best Killers live tribute 

experience. 

We caught up with Dan from 

Killaz UK for a short chat recently 

and asked a few questions 

exclusive to NE Guitars Magazine. 

NEG: Tell Me about The Killaz 

UK, How did you get started? 

KUK: The Killaz UK was founded 

by me and the Drummer Dan. 

We had both been in an originals 

band called Evanstar and also a 

Whitesnake tribute called Box 

O Snakes. Unfortunately these 

disbanded and we were left 

thinking “what shall we do next?”. 

We considered forming various 

different tributes and we thought 

there was a gap in the market 

for a ‘The Killers’ tribute. Then 

we needed to find the remaining 

members. I got my brother Matt 

on bass and friend Nick on 

keyboards and then we eventually 

found Mike the singer. Then The 

Killaz UK was born! 


NEG: Has The Killers music 

always been your influence? 

If not, who were your early 

influences? 

KUK: I grew up listening to 

my Dad’s vinyl, mainly early 

Whitesnake, Dire Straits, ZZ 

Top, and AC/DC. Angus young 

inspired me to pick up the guitar 

and he’s still my guitar idol. If it 

wasn’t for ACDC I don’t know if 

I would love music as much as I 

do. I owe a lot to them. It wasn’t 

until much later when The Killers 

were getting more popular that 

I started getting into them. The 

Killers guitarist Dave Keuning 

style is unique. He doesn’t use 

simple chords, he uses different 

voicings across the neck which 

makes his playing very interesting 

and complex and challenging. It 

has certainly influenced me as a 

player. 

NEG: Do you perform your own 

original songs in your live shows. 

KUK: We don’t perform any of 

our own songs during The Killaz 

UK shows unfortunately. It’s 

just strictly The Killers’ songs. It 

would be amazing to put our own 

music into the set. This might be 

something we could do for the 

future. 

NEG: What’s your favourite 

Killers song? 

KUK: My favourites to play 

live has to be Read My Mind or 

Caution. The solos are so much 

fun to play. I also really enjoy 

playing Run For Cover and Shot 

At The Night. And of course, the 

song everyone is excited to hear - 

Mr Brightside! 

NEG: Being a Guitar/ Guitarist 

magazine, we are very interested 

in the Guitars and equipment the 

band uses. Can you give us an 

insight in to what you use? 

KUK: So at the moment I’m 

using a Gibson Explorer and 

Fender Starcaster and I’m running 

that into a Kemper. Our bassist 

is using Fender Geddy Lee 

Signature Bass into a Helix. We 

try and use what The Killers are 

using to make our shows more 

authentic. We run a quiet stage, 

so no backline cabinets from our 

digital modellers as we’re all on 

IEM. This set up makes everything 

much easier for us (and the sound 

engineers). It also means that our 

sound is consistent from show to 

show. 

NEG: What have you got lined up 

for the rest of the year? 

KUK: We’ve got loads of shows 

to go this year. We have a show at 

Newcastle Civic Hall at the end 

of the year which is an amazing 

In Focus - Killaz UK 

place to play. Also we’re coming 

to the end of the festivals season 

which we absolutely love. Festivals 

are always fun as you get to go out 

and play the hits to a big crowd. 

But our full shows are where 

you can come and see what we 

do best. Recreating what a The 

Killers show is like from the sound 

to the performance. As soon as 

The Killers introduce something 

into their set you know we’ll be 

working on recreating it. 

NEG: Finally, how can our 

readers get involved with The 

Killers UK 

KUK: We’re all over social media 

you can find us on Facebook, 

Instagram, X and Tik Tok. You 

can find all our links at Linktr.ee/ 

thekillazuk. 

NEG: Dan, thank you for 

speaking to us here at NE Guitars 

Magazine and we wish you all the 

best in the future. 


ON THE 

COVER

Paul Rose 

Paul Rose is regarded as one of the finest 

electric guitar players of his generation. 

In a career that spans 5 decades, he has 

won worldwide recognition for his virtuoso 

playing style, along with his skills as a 

composer and producer. NEG Guitars is 

very excited to feature Paul in this issue.

IN FOCUS 


In Focus: Paul Rose 

Paul Rose 

GUITARIST COMPOSER PRODUCER 

Article by Paul Rose & Paul George. Images courtesy of Paul Rose 

What an honour to 

feature Paul Rose in to 

our humble rag. Not 

only do we get the pleasure of 

his company here but he will be 

coming to Hartlepool later this 

year. So without further ado let’s 

find out more... 

Paul Rose, born in Newcastle, 

England in July 1966, is without 

doubt one of the most unique and 

talented guitarists in the world 

today. Fundamentally a rock 

guitarist, his extraordinary playing 

style touches on blues, country, 

jazz and folk, blended together 

into a style that is entirely his 

own. Never a gig goes by where 

audience members don’t comment 

that Paul is the best guitarist 

they’ve seen and heard. 

Rory Gallagher awarded Paul a 

Fender ’62 Reissue Strat, with a 

Vox AC30, in a Fender sponsored 

competition that invited guitarists 

from all over the UK to appear in 

local music shops. Entrants were 

required to play in front of a video 

camera using the guitar and amp 

in question, without any pedals, to 

be edited and shown to Rory at a 

later date. Out of 1000 guitarists, 

Rory selected Paul as the winner 

and described him as ‘a hot player 

with a hot future.’ Having also won 

‘Guitarist of the Year’ in Guitarist 

Magazine a couple of years later, 

it is plainly obvious that Paul is a 

force to be reckoned with. 

Paul has worked as a producer/ 

artist/session guitarist with Ted 

McKenna (drummer with The 

Sensational Alex Harvey Band, 

Rory Gallagher, Michael Schenker, 

Bobby Womack), Gerry McAvoy 

(bassist with Rory Gallagher for 

25 years), Randy Brecker (The 

Brecker Brothers), Bill Evans 

(tenor sax Miles Davis, Mick 

Jagger, Herbie Hancock, Derek 

Trucks) & John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick 

(Free, Bob Marley and the Wailers, 

Jon Martyn, Pete Townsend and 

30 years with The Who) amongst 

others. 

His last album ‘Double Life’ 

was recorded at the Steakhouse, 

Hollywood, CA which Paul co 

produced with multi Grammy 

award winner John Wooler (Gary 

Moore, Johnny Winter, john Lee 

Hooker, Albert Collins). The 

album featured Terry Evans on 

vocals (35 years with Ry Cooder), 

Richie Morales on drums (Al 

Demeola, The Brecker Brothers, 

Mike Stern), Randy Jacobs on 

rhythm guitar (Elton John, Kris 

Kristofferson, Was Not Was), 

Bernard Fowler lead vocals 

(backing vocals with the Rolling 

Stones for 25 years) & Sweat Pea 

Atkinson on vocals (Was Not Was, 

Lyle Lovett). The album received 

5 star reviews across the board, 

and gig of the month for London 

during the album tour. 

Paul has spent the last 18 months 

in the New York area playing with 

his US version of the Paul Rose 

Trio, featuring Richie Morales 

(Spyra Gyra, Al Demeola, The 

Brecker Brothers) and Mark 

Egan (Pat Metheny Group, David 

Sanborn, Gil Evans). With a 

weekly residency at the Bitter End 

in Greenwich Village and gigs at 

the Iridium and B. B. Kings 

So we recently asked Paul about 

his incredible career. Here is his 

exclusive interview. 

NEG: How did it all begin for 

you? (music background, when 

you first picked up a guitar, 

influences etc) 

PR: Loved music from the very 

start, since before I can even 

remember in fact. My dad loved 

the classics like Brahms and 

Beethoven etc, and my mother 


IN FOCUS 

liked The Carpenters, Glen 

Campbell, Wings and ABBA. 

So lots of quality music around 

the house. Although I didn’t 

appreciate it at the time, I certainly 

do now. Like most kids in the 70s 

I loved pop/rock music, loved 

the Sweet, then Peter Frampton, 

then Blackmore and Hendrix 

deep fried my brain. There were 

2 brothers down the street from 

us who got a guitar for Christmas 

and I used to play that any chance 

I could. A couple of years later my 

father died about 10 days before 

Christmas when I was 11, and his 

brother (our uncle) bought me my 

first electric guitar. An Antoria 

Tele Deluxe, which I still have. 

I’ve never really been interested in 

anything else since 

NEG: I understand you were 

awarded a guitar by Rory 

Gallagher. Can you tell us about 

that? 

PR: That was a Fender sponsored 

competition that Rory was the 

appointed judge for. Basically 

a camcorder was taken around 

the guitar shops of the UK and 

entrants were invited to just turn 

up and play on camera on the day. 

The tapes were edited down and 

the best 10 were shown to Rory, 

and he chose me as the winner. I 

got a strat and a Vox AC30. 

NEG: What is your preferred 

guitar today? Are there any 

favourites you’ve had over the 

years? 

PR: I’ve been an LSL artist for 

about 14 years now, and I have 3 

LSL Saticoys 

Image: 

including 

Ramon Remenyi 

a signature 

model. These are my go to 

guitars as far as strats go. I have a 

Gibson Les Paul standard, and a 

limited edition 62 reissue Fender 

Telecaster with Seymour Duncan 

custom shop 53s installed. All 

of my other guitars have Lollar 

pickups as I’m a Lollar artist. 

George Lowden has been kind 

enough to allow me to play his 

guitars too. He’s a genius acoustic 

builder and a really fascinating 

bloke. 

NEG: I’ve been listening to the 

2018 album ‘Double Life’. Tell 

us about how it came about and 

the tracks on it. I notice there are 

quite a few musicians/ vocalists 

featured. Very interested in this. 

PR: I co produced that album 

with John Wooler who produced 

Still Got The Blues for Gary 

Moore. John also produced 



albums for Johnny Winter and 

Albert Collins, among others. 

We recorded it at the Steakhouse 

in Hollywood which is Steve 

Lukather’s place. On vocals we 

had Sweetpea Atkinson from Was 

Not Was, Bernard Fowler from the 

Rolling Stones and Terry Evans 

from Ry Cooder. All were great, 

but Terry is one of the greatest 

talents I’ve had the good fortune 

to work with, both in the studio 

and live. We also had Richie 

Morales on drums who was with 

the Brecker Bros and is long term 

drummer with Al De Meola. Also 

Randy Jacobs from Was Not Was 

played rhythm guitar, and Kenny 

Hutchison played bass. 

NEG: Can you tell us about the 

Paul Rose Trio? 

PR: The trio started when I was 

invited to put a band together for 

the 30th anniversary roadshow 

of Marshall amps. It was a very 

successful evening in Newcastle 

and so it’s kind of continued on 

from there in various different 

guises. It’s bluesy, but not a blues 

trio in the conventional sense. 

Lots of fusiony stuff, with country, 

jazz, funk, pop, rock and so 

on. There have been countless 

members over the years, including 

Ted McKenna and Brendan 

O’Neill, both of whom were long 

term drummers for Rory. Pete 

Stroud from the Peter Green 

Splinter Group is currently playing 

bass. Also in New York I had 

Mark Egan from the Pat Metheny 

Group, Richie Morales and Joel 

Rosenblatt from Spyra Gyra and 

Roben Ford’s band. This NY line 

up got well out there musically in 

some of the music clubs in New 

York. I learnt massively from those 

days. And it was great fun. 

NEG: Are there any new albums 

on the horizon? 

PR: Yes, we have recently formed 

a new band called Guitar Heads 

and have a 12 track CD about 

to go to press. We recorded this 

at Rockfield Studios in South 

Wales with my good mate Jim 

Kirkpatrick from FM and the 

Band Of Friends on guitar and 

vocals, Nick Foley on organ and 

piano. And Chris Childs and 

Harry James from Thunder on 

bass and drums respectively. That’s 

a really exciting Image: band Ramon that will Remenyi be 

doing a run of dates in the UK in 

October. All classic guitar covers 

from the golden age, played for 

the love of it and the fun. Some 

YouTube videos are also going to 

be launched to support that soon. 

And... I’m talking to some people 

about a new solo album that will 

be released next year. This will be 

my 19th to date. 20 in fact, if you 

include the Guitar Heads album. 

That amounts to a hell of a lot of 

studio hours through the years. 


NEG: Do you have any plans for 

any more gigs in the North East in 

the near future? 

PR: We’ll be playing in 

Hartlepool with Guitar Heads 

during the aforementioned 

October run. But a trio gig is 

always a strong possibility, maybe 

back at the Cluny 2 again. 

NEG: Where can our readers 

find out more about you? 

(Website, social media, music 

platforms). 

PR: There’s a semblance of a 

website at www.paulrose.co.uk 

where there are links to Facebook 

and YouTube. That’s where most 

activity happens these days, 

at least until the homepage is 

completed. But a simple Google 

search of Paul Rose guitar should 

find me. 

NEG: Thank you Paul for taking 

the time to chat to us here at NE 

Guitars Magazine and we wish 

you the very best of luck in the 

future. 

As Paul said in the interview, he 

is touring the UK later this year 

with his new band, Guitar Heads. 

You can see them at the following 

dates and venues: 

WED 2 OCT 

Hull, Wrecking Ball Music and 

Books 

THU 3 OCT 

Wolverhampton, Robin 2 

FRI 4 OCT 

Derby, The Flowerpot 

SUN 6 OCT 

Hartlepool, South Durham WMC 

(Steelies) 



GUITAR HEADS 

feat. Paul Rose 

South Durham 

WMC (Steelies) 

Sunday 

6th October 2024 


LOCAL HEROES 

Steve Thompson 

Music in the North East 

has been a thriving 

industry for many years 

and one man who has 

had a major influence 

on it’s success is Steve 

Thompson. I was lucky 

enough to bump into Steve 

shortly before the Covid 

Lockdown a few years ago 

in Hartlepool and I have 

followed his incredible 

career since. So when 

the opportunity arose 

to include Steve in the 

magazine, well, I just had 

to jump on it. 

Article by Steve Thompson & 

Paul George. 

Images courtesy of Steve 

Thompson 

Steve Thompson has written 

songs that have been recorded 

by Celine Dion, Sheena 

Easton, Elkie Brooks, The Hollies, 

The Searchers, Tygers of Pan Tang, 

Baby Ford, Colin Blunstone, Sarah 

Brightman, Wavelength, Elaine Page, 

Bruce Ruffin, Chris Farlowe, Middle 

Of The Road, Alvin Stardust and 

many others 

In a long and varied career, Steve also 

wrote and produced key recordings 

during the ‘New Wave of British 

Heavy Metal’ (NWOBHM) including 

Raven, Venom (both huge influences 

on rock giants, Metallica) and Tygers 

of Pan Tang. This has earned him 

the title “NE GODFATHER OF 

NWOBHM” (New Wave Of British 

Heavy Metal) 

Now accompanied by Barry Race 

on percussion and Richard Naisbett 

on keyboards, Jen Normandale 

and Kirsty Forster both on Backing 

Vocals and Steve is taking an acoustic 

show around small intimate venues 

performing the songs he wrote for the 

artists mentioned above. The show 

is being well received with people 

hearing the songs for the first time 

as they sounded when they left the 

songwriter’s pen! 

So recently, Paul from NE Guitars 

Magazine caught up with Steve to 

chat about his incredible career. 

NEG: How did you get started in the 

music business? 

ST: Well, it started at school really 

in the 60s. And of course everything 

went Technicolor and the music that 

was in the air then was absolutely 

amazing. I remember kids used to 

bring albums to school and play them 

in the woodwork workshop. And 

we’d hear this stuff at lunch times, I’m 

talking about the Beatles, the Beach 

Boys, the Small Faces, all that kind 

of stuff. And I thought it was just 

an amazing sound and I wondered 

how it was put together. And then 

one day, revelation hit me when I 

saw some of the older lads actually 

playing guitars. And I thought, oh, 

mere mortals can do this thing. And I 

started to take an interest in learning 

to play. But it was a combined interest 

of learning to play, but also wanting 

to know how to create original 

material. And initially, I would learn 

a few things. I think probably the first 

thing I learned on guitar. because of 


the number of chords in it, and it was 

fairly simple, but sounded great, was 

House of the Rising Sun. But then I 

wanted to figure out how these things 

were put together. And so I started 

to make my own tunes up and they 

were very rudimentary, obviously. 

But that was the start of a long incline 

down into music from which I never 

escaped. 

NEG: I know a lot of your music, 

even earlier on, I think, has been your 

actual songwriting as well. You’ve 

written for a lot of big stars. 

ST: Yeah, well, I’ve had a long life. 

You know, if you stick at it long 

enough, you eventually build up a 

track record just by virtue of keeping 

doing it. So before I got into writing, 

I became a record producer. Just 

purely by, you know, working at 

it and trying to do something and 

becoming better at it. Somebody one 

day said, hey, you can actually put a 

track together if you want to come 

and work for me. And that was it. 

And then the heavy metal thing came 

along and I was a producer for World 

of Heavy Metal. And eventually I 

thought, you know, this is fine, but 

I don’t want to be tied to one genre 

because as a songwriter, any genre 

is available to you. So I would write 

rock stuff. I mean, originally I was 

a rock musician in the band I was 

in, but I would write all kinds of 

material. And I enjoyed that being 

free to follow any path 

that took me fancy. 


NEG: I’ve been on your website 

and there’s a lot of names in there 

with your songwriting. I mean, 

Elkie Brooks and Sheena Easton and 

Barbara Dixon. I mean, how on earth 

did you get involved with that? 

ST: Well, that was just by going at 

it and going at it. And at the time of 

being a producer at Neat Records, 

I set up Neat Publishing, and so 

we published as well, and I was 

operating as an PR sort of guy. And 

we made a deal with Bruce Welsh 

of the Shadows, and he had set up a 

publishing company with a guy called 

Brian Oliver. Bruce was sort of the 

figurehead to the partnership. Brian 

was the day-to-day guy that became 

my mentor, and he was really into 

what I was doing. We sat in a pub, 


LOCAL HEROES 

the famous ship on Waldorf Street, 

and he pointed to a sign on the wall, 

a poster. I think it was King William 

or something like that. He said, there 

you go, there’s your inspiration for a 

song. You could use that title. And I 

said, no, no, see that one over there? 

That’s the one, Paris by air. And I 

knew what it would be about. I was 

working with a young girl called Toni 

Halliday, and she was only 16. And 

she told me about her desire to escape 

the humdrum life of a council estate 

in Washington. And so the song 

was about somebody seeing the sign, 

Paris by air, and wishing they 

could get away and do that. But 

they’re trapped by the life that’s got 

them in that community. And so 

the song emerged from that kind of 

thing. 

So Brian was sort of my mentor. 

And as time went on, I’d started to 

get a few records out. And I think 

the first one that I wasn’t ashamed 

of, I did a couple of daft ones. The 

first one that was a mainstream artist 

with a name, it was Bruce Griffin, a 

song called Messing Around. And 

it didn’t do anything. But it was a 

mainstream artist. I think it was on 

RCA, so it was a mainstream record 

company. And I just kept at it and at 

it. And when I quit Neat Records, I 

eventually went from Bruce Welsh’s 

publishing company to MCA Music. 

Because the Tygers of Pan Tang 

picked up on Paris by Air, they were 

signed to MCA Records. So I came 

to the attention of Pete Waterman, 

who was then running the publishing 

at MCA Music. And just a shed load 

of songs started to get released. And 

the more you do, the more you do. 

And Pete was a terrific salesman. So 

I started to get lots of stuff out. The 

Searchers, the Tygers themselves, 

Sheena Easton. And Sheena Easton, 

the song on her album was called 

Please Don’t Sympathize. And it went 

top 20 all around the world. And 

particularly, it went gold in Canada. 

So a young person starting out on a 

music career in Canada picked up on 

that, Celine Dion, and she recorded 

the same song. 

And it’s a matter of networking. It’s 

difficult to start, but once things 

are moving and people are talking 

about. Another thing that I had on 

my side was I was very popular with 

record producers. I just mentioned 

Chris Neil there did Sheena Easton. 

Bruce Wells was a record producer. 

He used Waterman for the Hollies. 

And Gus Dudgeon, another great 

champion of what I was trying to 

do. And these guys liked the demos 

I was making because I was making 

blueprint productions because I 

was a record producer first. And 

so nearly every time that one of 

my songs got cut, it was identical 

to the demo. Obviously, in a bigger 

and better studio and much better 

production in terms of audio, but it 

was the same arrangement, the same 

ideas, sometimes even the same vocal 

adlibs. 

NEG: You’ve mentioned in this 

conversation a few times, Neat 

Records. Was Neat Records at the 

same time as the New Wave of British 

Heavy Metal? Or is that sort of like a 

separate entity? 

ST: Yeah, I produced the first three 

Neat singles. And the third one was 

the Tygers of Pantang. And I thought 

they were really unfashionable. I 

thought, what’s this? This goes back 

to my early days. What I didn’t realize 

was that it was the beginning of a new 

wave of something. And it was that 

recording that turned Neat Records 

into a heavy metal label. And then 

I produced the first album that the 

label put out, Rock Until You Drop, 

that was Raven. And my party shot 

was Venom. I produced Venom’s first 

single. And it was shortly after that I 

thought, it’s time to fly the nest and 

have a go at what it is I want to do. 

NEG: Which actually kind of brings 

us on quite nicely to what you’re 

doing now. Going back a few years 

ago, if I remember rightly, this was 

around the time of the lockdown. You 

had the Long Fade album out, didn’t 

you? I’ve picked up on your new 

album, Distant Destination, tell us 

about this new side of you. 


ST: The long fade, we called it an 

album 50 years in the making. I first 

stepped out on the stage in 1969. And 

made a few records with the band 

that I was in there. But I never made 

an album in me own name. I played 

on lots of other people’s albums. But 

effectively, that was the first time I put 

out an album under my name. And it 

was sort of a semi-plain catch-up. So 

it was a lot of the songs that some of 

these artists who have been talking 

about it recorded. Celine Dion, 

Sheena Easton, Elkie Brooks. And I 

did the versions that were identical. 

As they left the songwriters pen, I did 

them how I wanted them to be. And 

the singers worked to my direction. 

So I’m not saying that the recordings, 

I was disappointed in them in any 

way. Although I said earlier, they 

were a blueprints to the demo. They 

were never massively identical. And 

plus, over a period of time, I thought, 

oh, that’s that lyric. Because I was 

young when I was doing some of 

these things. And so I sort of worked 

the songs, made them a little bit more 

mature. And it was time to put them 

together. So we spent some time, 

I put a band together. And some 

friends had said, it’s time you got off 

your arse and went out, played these 

songs yourself, instead of sitting 

home collecting the royalties. So 

I was out there with a show, with a 

bunch of singers. And I would tell 

the stories behind the songs and 

project to a screen. So it was a full 

multimedia show. And the album was 

the culmination of that. And then, of 

course, along came lockdown. 

And I was also labouring under that 

thing, the difficult second album. 

So 50 years to make the first one. 

So what are you going to do? And 

so I thought about it. And then 

lockdown happened. And so these 

new songs started to emerge. And 

they were kind of contemplative and 

reflective. And Distant Destination is 

an example of that. It sounds like it’s 

a conversation between two people. 

But if you listen to it, you may find 

that there aren’t two people in that 

conversation. And Jen Normandale 

sang that one for me. But the whole 

production process was remote 

because you couldn’t go into the 

studio. We used Zoom to talk about 

it. I did the track, sent it to Jen. She 

put her vocal on in her home. Then 

Richard Nesbitt, who has played 

keyboards with me for quite a few 

years now, he put a magnificent 

keyboard part to it. And it built up 

that way. And lockdown started to 

diminish. It was taking a long time to 

make this album because I wanted 

it to be different to the last one. So it 

can’t be compared. So nobody would 

say, well, that’s not as good as the last 

one. And a lot of it was new material. 

And there was a song that came about 

because Andy Taylor, who was one 

of my session guys back in the Neat 

records days, he and Duran Duran 

came and did a homecoming show 

in Newcastle and asked me to come 

along. So I went along to see the 

show. It was fabulous. And a lot of 


water had passed under the bridge. 

Andy was 16 when I first worked with 

him. And I told him that a couple 

of the recordings I did with him... 

Because he said to me he wanted to 

make a record with John Wright. 

And he said, because I’m going to be 

a megastar. I said, okay, Andy. And 

he may have been in Neat 03 if the 

Tygers hadn’t come in. But the two 

tracks I cut with him... I’ve since 

licensed them to Cherry Red Records. 

And they’ve put out a shed load of the 

material I’ve recorded over the years. 

And Andy’s two tracks are in there. 

Anyway, I got to talking to Andy. I 

said, I’m working on a new album. 

Do you want to guest on it? I’ve got 

this song. You’re talking about your 

homecoming show. I’ve got a song 

called I Will Go Back. And I said, 

that could be your story. It’s my story. 

But it’s the same thing as what you’re 

doing. He said, yeah, I hope to do 


LOCAL HEROES 

that. And not long after that... The 

news hit that he’d been diagnosed 

with cancer. And then his assistant 

said to me, after I’d had a chat with 

Andy at the show, that Andy had said 

to her, whatever you do, make sure 

Steve Thompson is at that show. And 

I think he was getting things right. 

You know, I don’t know what was 

going through his head. But clearly 

he wasn’t going to be doing any 

recordings. So I sang it myself. And 

it is a song, but it’s about Consett. 

It’s about the place I came from. ‘I 

Will Go Back one day, when the lines 

are gone, you’ll find me there.’ And 

funnily enough, a lad from the village 

where I grew up came in and did 

percussion on it. There was only two 

of us on it. And surprise, surprise, I 

sang in tune. And I could do it. And I 

thought, well, this is strange, because 

I’m 72. And I played it to people, 

and I thought, you know, I wasn’t... I 

didn’t want to fool myself, but other 

people thought it sounded good. So I 

sang a few more songs on that album. 

I still had John Normadale doing stuff 

for me, and David Ditchburn does 

one. But I actually wrote a song called 

The Parting of the Clouds, which is 

the story of the place I came from, the 

place I grew up, and then going into 

the steelworks in Consett. And there 

were several people that are in that 

story, in that song. And some of them 

are playing on it. Barry’s playing the 

kit, and John Gallagher from Raven, 

bass on it. It’s a power trio, you know. 

And it’s the story of how I went from 

that little village and became a heavy 

metal producer. And the third verse, 

I sing from the grave. So that’s what 

that package has become. 

NEG: I remember back in the 

Fishermans Arms where you did your 

show there, you were talking about 

one of my all-time stars back in the 

70s, Alvin Stardust. Tell us a little bit 

about your relationship with him and 

what you did with him. 

ST: Okay. I heard that he was 

looking for material to record, and 

I’d set up this publishing company 

with Brian Johnson of ACDC. And 

Brian had taken over the studio in 

Newcastle, Lynx, and he renamed it 

Lynx De Luca because he’s of Italian 

descent, and apparently that was 

his mother’s maiden name. But also 

apparently when he took me to see 

it, he’d spelled that maiden name 

wrong. So anyway, I was working 

in that studio, and I pitched a song 

at Alvin Stardust, and his manager 

called and said he really liked it. And 

I think he was shopping for a record 

deal. He didn’t have a record deal. 

So one thing led to another, and his 

manager said, well, if we send him 

into Newcastle, can you put the latest 

track down? So that’s what I did. So I 

produced this song called Taking the 

Easy Way with Alvin, and I finished it 

off, and that was that. The next thing 

that happened was Alvin’s manager 

called me again, and he said, we love 



this. Do you think we could do an 

album? And I said, yeah, why not? So 

I took some songs that I had already 

had, and I wrote some new ones, put 

together a whole album, and Alvin 

came to live with me for a couple of 

months at my house in Whitley Bay. 

But we spent a lot of time in the 

studio. One of the tracks that I 

recorded with Alvin, Behind the 

Wheel, was on the Long Fade album. 

And again, it’s John Gallagher from 

Raven guesting on that. So a lot of 

the people that I worked with all 

those years ago, have guested on the 

album. I had Tony Bray from Venom 

playing drums on a couple of tracks. 

And Steve Lamb from the Tygers of 

Pan Tang. In fact, I had all three on 

one particular song, Paris By Air. 

So we recorded the full album with 

Alvin, and it just sat doing nothing 

for a long, long time. He couldn’t get 

a deal with it. Now, one day, Tony 

Bray of Venom, and his manager at 

the time, Eric Cook, I think his name 

was, they invited me to a studio that 

they’d just purchased. And so I went 

along to see them, and Tony said to 

me, the studio they purchased was 

Lynx in Newcastle, the very same 

studio where we cut an album with 

the Tygers, Burning in the Shade, 

and the Alvin Stardust album. And 

Tony said, we bought the studio, and 

we’d like to give you enough time to 

cut an album. I said, well, that’s very 

generous, Tony. What’s that about? 

Why? He said, well, you give me a 

career, man. So, you know, I just 

want to give you something back. So 

he was referring to Conrad, the bass 

player in Venom. It was a tape op at 

Input Studios, where we cut all that 

stuff. And he went on and on about 

this band. So one day I said, right, 

come in tomorrow. We’ve got the 

whole afternoon free. So I’d given 

them a break, and Tony hadn’t 

forgotten that. The only thing is, I 

didn’t have an album in me then. 

I was still writing. I had no idea that I 

would cut an album. So I said, thanks 

very much, but I’ll take a rain check 

on that. And he said, oh, by the way, 

when we bought the place, Lock, 

Stock and Barrel, we found things in 

the tape store, and one has your name 

on it. And he says, do you want it? I 

said, all right, what is it? And it 

was the Alvin Stardust album. So it 

had laid there all this time. And I 

mentioned that I’d just done a deal 

with Cherry Red Records, and the 

Alvin Stardust album was one of 

them. So that’s out on Cherry Red. 

After all these years, it finally came 

out. But unfortunately, Alvin’s not 

with us anymore. But I’ll send his 

royalties up to the sky. 

NEG: The last thing I do want to talk 

about is your current work. You’ve 

recently sent e a little flyer over for 

the magazine promoting a new gig. 

And this is with the Steve Thompson 

band, isn’t it? Tell me a little bit about 

that? 

ST: Well, it wasn’t going to be the 

Steve Thompson band. It wasn’t 

planned at all. But as I say, I did a 

few songs myself on the last album. 

And that’s on Cherry Red, so it’s out 

there. So I have a nephew, Martin 

Thompson, who’s a songwriter, 

singer, a lot younger than me, and 

he’s doing stuff. And particularly, he’s 

a promoter. So I got a message one 

day on Facebook, Uncle Stephen, 

this would be ideal for you. And he’s 

offering me a gig in Newcastle, solo. 

And I said, don’t be stupid, I can’t do 

that. And that was the end of that. 

He said, when I told him later, he 

said he sat dejected for five minutes 

until another message came from 

me saying, oh, go on then. But at 

that point in time, I had just agreed 

to do something. I was incapable of 

doing that. I’ve never done it before. 

How can I do that? So this would be 

the songs that I’d written for Celine 

Dion, et cetera, right? So you’re 

talking about big productions. How 

do I translate them to just acoustic 

guitar and voice? So while I was 

thinking about that, Barry Race, 

as I mentioned earlier, who’s on 

the Distant Destination album, he 

said, do you want me to come and 

play percussion with you? And I 

said, yeah, yeah, that’ll help. So we 

started rehearsing, and that, it’s just, I 

thought that’s a little bit easier to have 

a colleague. And then a little while 

later, Richard Nair’s video mentioned 

the keyboard player. He said, oh, I see 

you’re on at the carriage in Jesman. 

He says, I get there regular. I’ll come 

and see you. I said, well, bring your 

keyboard then. And so, I did the 

show with keyboards and percussion 

and acoustic. It’s a three piece. And 

I didn’t know whether I could do it 

until I walked to the mic and tried 

and I did it. It’s something I’d never 

done before. And I did it and it 

worked. So, a new string to the bow. 

And I took another show, the White 

Room in Stanley. And it was great. 

I was really surprised. And I was not 

prepared for an encore and we got 

one. So, I did, I’m from the 60s and 

70s, so, I did what we always did. 

I did The Huntere by Free. And, but 

it was a 90 minute show, singing for 

90 minutes at my age. And I thought, 

well, I’ve done that. And I’ve proved I 

can do it. And I don’t think I’m going 

to do it again because it’s too much 

like hard work. So, I’ve brought in a 

couple of female backing singers, Jen 

Normandale, who I work with a lot. 

And Kirsty Foster. And so, it’s now a 

five piece. So, this is a one man show 

with five people. And it just lifted the 

output to a different level. I’m not the 

world’s greatest singer, but when you 

go back and work like that, it makes 

you lift your game. And of course, 

the girls get to singing a couple of 

numbers themselves as well. So, 

I’ve given all the athletic numbers 

to Kirsty and Jen. So, it’s just been a 

natural progression. I didn’t plan to 

do it, but I do enjoy it. And I found 

something I didn’t know I could do. 

NEG: Steve, thank you very much 

for taking the time to speak to NE 

Guitars and we wish you luck in the 

future . 

https://steve-thompson.org.uk/ 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

thestevethompson 


AXE IN FOCUS 

EDG ‘Mark Abrahams’ 

Signature Model 

So for this month’s 

‘Axe in Focus’ we had 

to feature the new 

Mark Abrahams Signature 

model from EDG. 

Especially after hearing 

first hand just how good 

this instrument sounded in 

the hands of the Wishbone 

Ash star. 

It is presented in a 

beautiful Vintage White, 

Marks is in the Matt finish, 

preferring the look to the 

shiny, new, Gloss look. 

He told us that he prefers 

the look as it gives a more 

‘old school’ look and it 

wouldn’t take him too long 

to give it that classic ‘roadworn’ 

appearance. 

As with Mark’s personal 

preference, it is armed with 

just a single Kloppmann 

SB62 P90 Pickup 

providing him with an 

uncomplicated set up 

while preserving the high 

quality sound needed for 

his performances. 

The headstock is adorned 

with Kluson M33JP Jnr 

Vintage style tuners and 

is marked with the East 

Durham Guitars logo and 

Mark Abrahams signature. 

For full details of the 

specifications, just look at 

the model’s ad on the next 

page which should tell you 

everything you need to 

know. 

This limited edition is 

retailing at £1995.00 

which will guarantee you 

a beautiful hand crafted 

instrument of the very 

highest quality. If you 

fancy yourself as a serious 

guitarist then this little 

baby should definitely 

be one to check out. But 

be fair warned, they are 

moving fast. The first few 

have already been snapped 

up. 

For more information 

why not give the boys a 

shout over at East Durham 

Guitars or drop them an 

Email or visit the website 

at this link: https://www. 

eastdurhamguitars.com/ 

markabrahamssignature 

model 


Axe in Focus - Willie Nelson’s Trigger 


Sponsored By 

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They have amazed 

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IN FOCUS

In Focus - Darts 

Darts 

Article by Horace Trubridge & Paul George 

Talk about being excited to feature a particular band, 

Darts are one of my favourite all-time Rock ‘n’ Roll 

groups. Way back in the 70’s, when I was just a 

young pup, their blend of 50’s music combined with their 

energy, fabulous vocal arrangements and humour had me 

glued to TOTP and the radio. They were simply, brilliant. 

Almost 50 years on I still have Darts in my playlists and 

I even perform a song or two of theirs in our own gigs. 

They are by far, one of my biggest influences in my own 

personal music journey. So imagine my delight when I 

heard they were playing in our area. I had to jump on the 

opportunity and get in touch. But before we get into the 

interview with Horace, let’s learn more about Darts. 

The Darts are a nine-piece British group that revived the 

sound and style of doo-wop, a genre of vocal harmony 

music that originated in the 1950s. They formed during 

the mid 70’s and found success with a string of hits 

including Daddy Cool / The girl can’t help it, Come back 

my love, Boy from New York City, Duke of Earl and their 

own composition, It’s Raining. 

The original Line up consisted of Den Hegarty (bass 

vocals), Griff Fender (tenor vocals), Rita Ray (alto vocals), 

and Horatio Hornblower (Horace Trubridge - baritone 

saxophone), Iain “Thump” Thomson (bass guitar), George 

Currie (lead guitar), John Dummer (drums), Hammy 

Howell (piano), and Bob Fish (falsetto vocals). 

They first hit the charts in 1976 and continued to 1985. 

However in 2006, the band reformed and continue playing 

to this day, almost 50 years since they first hit the scene. 


NE Guitars are very privileged to 

have had the opportunity to chat 

with the Rock ‘n’ Roll legends 

prior to their forthcoming gig in 

Newcastle. Original founding 

member, Horace Trubridge, aka 

Horatio Hornblower, told us their 

story. 

NEG: How did Darts begin? 

HT: Darts were formed out of 

two defunct bands, namely Rocky 

Sharpe and the Razors and The 

John Dummer Blues Band. Rocky 

Sharpe and the Razors were a 

band from the South Coast that 

had built up a good following in 

the London pub rock scene. The 

John Dummer Blues Band was 

a well established London based 

blues band that backed visiting 

American blues artists such as 

Howling Wolf. 

NEG: Were you always a Do-Wop 

rock ‘n’ roll band? 

HT: What we tried to do was find 

obscure fifties black vocal group 

recordings and represent them in 

our way. Songs like Daddy Cool 

and Come Back My Love had 

never been heard in the UK before 

and even Boy From New York 

City was pretty obscure. We then 

wrote songs in a similar style in 

fact It’s Raining written by one of 

the singers, Griff Fender, ended up 

being our biggest hit. 

NEG: When did you get your first 

big break? 

HT: We did a three date UK tour 

with Jerry Lee Lewis, we played 

Theo Rainbow, The Birmingham 

Hippodrome and Manchester 

(can’t remember which theatre). 

Then Daddy Cool took off and we 

were on TOTP. 

NEG: You had a lot of hits in the 

70’s/ 80’s. What were the bands 

favourites? 

HT: That’s a toughy, my favourite 

will always be Daddy Cool 

because although the original was 

an R&B vocal group track we gave 

it a much harder almost punky 

feel. It’s Raining still sounds lovely 

today though, it hasn’t aged at all. 

NEG: There have been a lot of 

member changes over the years 

yet the majority of the original 

members are in the current line 

up. How do you feel about playing 

with each other again? 

HT: Well we have been doing 

occasional gigs over the years 

after we reformed about 20 years 

ago and the last person to join the 

band in its current line-up was 

in 1982 so we have had a lot of 

years together. It’s always been one 

big happy family, unlike so many 

other successful bands from the 

1970’s we never ever fell out. 

NEG: What’s your most 

memorable gig? 


In Focus - Darts 

HT: We played the London 

Palladium and we hired the 

Tiller Girls, a chamber orchestra 

and Norman Vaughan. It was a 

brilliant night, the last of that UK 

tour and at the end we ascended 

into the gods on wires and the 

road crew ran on and flour 

bombed us! 

NEG: You’re playing in Newcastle 

at the end of August in a charity 

show for Maggies. How did this 

come about? 

HT: Someone from the venue 

got in touch with our erstwhile 

manager, Don, who lives in the 

Philippines and that’s how it came 

about. We are delighted to play 

Newcastle again after all these 

years, the last time we played there 

was at the City Hall in the late 

1970’s. 

NEG: Are Darts going to 

continue playing? Are there any 

plans for any more albums or 

recordings? 

HT: We have a new double 

album available through this 

link: https://gofasterstripe.com/ 

cgi-bin/w.cgi?showfull=55888 It 

was recorded live last year at the 

Blue Moon festival in Wales. We 

will keep going till one of us pegs, 

when that happens we will call it 

a day! 

NEG: How can our readers find 

out more about Darts? 

HT: Google us or visit our 

Facebook page. 

NEG: Horace, thank you very 

much for talking to us here at NE 

Guitars and we look forward to 

catching up with you in Newcastle 

at the end of August:. 

Wow! What a buzz and an 

honour. That’s definitely a tick 

on my bucket list. Big thanks to 

Horace and the Band, also to Don 

Macdearmid for putting me in 

touch with the band. 

For those who would like to 

go over and see Darts, they are 

playing at: 

Jilly’s Homebake @ The Rose 

Inn, Wallsend, Newcastle 

Saturday 31st August 2024 

But let me warn any potential fans, 

there are not many tickets left and 

they are going fast, so get them 

while you can. 

But our story doesn’t finish here. 

The gig is in support of a very 


worthwhile charity who we would 

also like to feature in this issue as 

part of the ‘Darts’ article. 

I have had a few chats with the 

event organiser, Michael Jeffels. 

He told me about the charity. 

“The charity is Maggie’s, a cancer 

centre in Newcastle that supports 

people going through cancer 

including their friends and family. 

I came across them when my 

father was terminally ill. Their 

benefits advisor literally took all the 

information about him and sorted 

everything out with regards to the 

council, parking passes and claimed 

money on his behalf. In return we 

have decided to put on the event and 

raise more money for them.” 

So I recently got in touch with 

Maggie’s to learn a little more and use 

our magazine to support this brilliant 

and worthwhile charity. 

As Michael has said, Maggie’s 

supports people going through 

cancer as well as supporting their 

families which, unfortunately is all 

too frequent today. So how does 

Maggie’s help? 

“Our workshops, courses, one-to-one 

and group support help people to 

change the way they live with cancer. 

We focus on the things that really 

make a difference, like money 

worries, help with stress and 

depression, managing side-effects 

and relationship and family support. 

Our support has been shown to 

improve physical and emotional 

wellbeing and to help people take 

control when cancer turns life upside 

down. 

Understanding every person’s 

individual circumstances is central to 

what we do and means we can guide 

them to the support that will help 

them the most. 

We’re here for anyone with cancer 

and their family and friends, 

whatever kind of cancer, and 

whatever stage they’re at. 

All our support is free, and no 

appointment or referral is needed. 

There’s also no time limit on our 

support, we’re here for as long as 

we’re needed.” 

So from NE Guitars we would 

like to encourage our readers 

to support Maggie’s either by 

donating, coming to the ‘Darts’ gig 

or checking out the poster on the 

next page. 

Visit their website here: 

https://www.maggies.org 


In Focus - Darts / Maggies Centre 

Friday 20 September 

(or a date of your choice) 

Make cakes, bring bakes, or host games and 

raise vital funds for people living with cancer 

in the North East and Cumbria. 

Scan the code for your free pack 

or visit bit.ly/KTD24 


IN FOCUS 

Article by Paul George & Michael ‘Olga’ Algar 

Images: Courtesy of The Toy Dolls 

NE Guitars Magazine 

is slowly getting a 

reputation for seeking out 

acts from past years, as it were. 

The Toy Dolls have bridged the 

gap between retro and the present 

quite nicely and are still going 

strong today. 

So when my partner in crime, 

Mark, mentioned that he could 

put me in touch with their front 

man ‘Olga’, I jumped at the chance 

to ask him a few questions and 

learn a little more about this 

unique band. For anyone who, for 

whatever reason, cannot place The 

Toy Dolls just has to listen to their 

rendition of ‘Nellie The Elephant’ 

and it will all come back. 

Let’s take a look into their history 

and find out what they are all 

about. 

The Toy Dolls formed as a quartet 

featuring vocalist Pete “Zulu” 

Robson; guitarist Michael “Olga” 

Algar (born 21 September 1962, 

South Shields, England); drummer 

Colin “Mr. Scott” Scott; and 

bassist Phillip “Flip” Dugdale. 

After just a few gigs, Zulu left 

to form his own band and was 

replaced by Paul “Hud” Hudson 

on vocals for one concert. After 

Hud’s departure, the Toy Dolls 


ecame a trio, with guitarist Olga 

assuming permanent vocal duties. 

How did you first get in to music? 

That will be when I was about 12, 

through Mud, Slade, The Sweet 

etc, then when I was on my paper 

round I saw a pic of Suzi Quatro in 

one of the mags I was I delivering, 

I thought she was soooo cool, and 

decided that’s what I was gonna 

do! I will get there eventually! 

For Christmas 1982, they released 

their punk rendition of “Nellie the 

Elephant”, a classic children’s song, 

which hit No. 1 in the UK Indie 

Chart. In 1983, they released their 

debut album Dig That Groove 

Baby. In 1984, their re-issue of 

“Nellie the Elephant” reached No. 

4 in the UK Singles Chart and 

stayed in the chart for 14 weeks. 

Since then, the band has 

continued to release albums and 

to tour widely, mainly across 

continental Europe, South 

America and Japan. After a gap 

of fourteen years since their last 

gig in Britain, 2007 saw a string 

of UK dates taking in cities from 

Glasgow to London, including 

a “homecoming” for a show at 

Durham University. 

As I mentioned before, we 

recently had the opportunity to 

throw a few questions at Olga. 

NEG: How did the Toy Dolls 

come about? 

Olga: I was playing with a 

local band in Sunderland called 

Showbiz Kids, though I wasn’t 

totally happy in them, I had a few 

songs written, She Goes to Finos, 

Tommy Kowey’s Car etc, but it 

didn’t suit their singer, Rob, who 

was and still is a great front man, 

In Focus - The Toy Dolls 

he has been with Dr. Feelgood 

for decades btw! Anyways I 

left and had the whole concept 

of The Toy Dolls logo and style 

planned out, the building bricks 

logo and the kind of stage antics 

etc. I never wanted to be the 

singer mind you, Pete, the first 

singer we had, didn’t suit his 

style, he left and we searched 

for a vocalist, we couldn’t find a 

suitable one so we tossed a coin, 

seriously!, The loser would sing 

at the forthcoming show we had, 

I lost! I said I would sing that 

1 gig, and here we are 45 years 

later, still not keen on singing’ 

though, in fact I can’t really sing! 

I am a cross between Jilted John 

& Orville the duck. 

NEG: The Toy Dolls have had 

many members over the years, 

are you the remaining original 

member? 


IN FOCUS 

Olga: Yep, I am, over such a 

long time period people move 

on, get married, have kids, get 

sick of touring around the world 

and being in the can for hours & 

hours, and getting no sleep!, For 

pennies! Though having said that 

though, Duncan, our drummer, 

has been with us about 15 years, 

and Tommy, bass player, has been 

with us 20 years! 

NEG: You had great success with 

“Nellie The Elephant”. Where 

did the idea come from to use a 

Children’s song? 

Olga: To be honest I had the 

woooooooo. Idea many years 

before hand, I just kept it until I 

could find a song that would fit 

with it, then I heard ‘Nellie the 

Elephant’ on a kids TV show 

called ‘A handful of songs’ I 

thought that’s the one, seemed to 

work anyways! 

NEG: What has been your 

favourite song or album? 

Olga: My favourite Toy Dolls 

song and album? Maybe ‘Alecs 

Gone’ song, and ‘Absurd Ditties’ 

album. Others bands, maybe 

song, ‘Nasty Nasty’ by 999, and 

album, ‘Out of their Skulls by The 

Pirates’, who had my favourite ever 

guitarist, Mick Green. 

NEG: What is your most 

memorable gig? 

Olga: The Toy Dolls? All gigs 

are my favourite for different 

reason, but probably the first 

one in Japan at Tsubaki House 

Tokyo, or Projeto SP in Brazil. 

Most memorable gig I have been 

to? The Jam. At Seaburn Hall 

Sunderland. 

NEG: Being a Guitar magazine, 

we are often interested in what 

equipment bands use. What 

guitar do you play? 

Olga: In The Toy Dolls I use a 

Fender American 1978 Telecaster 

with a Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 

bridge pick up, through a Marshall 

JCM 800 2203 Head. With 

Cockney Rejects I use a Gibson 

Les Paul Junior, this guitar is a 

dream to play! Well compared to 

the Telecaster cricket bat anyways! 

Played through the same Marshall 


amp. I do occasionally use a Les 

Paul Custom to thicken the sound 

up on recordings however. 

NEG: Are there any new singles / 

albums on the horizon? 

Olga: Yes indeed, I am about 2 

/3rds of the way through writing 

The Toy Dolls next album, I have a 

small studio in Soho, not far from 

where I live in London, I am in 

there about 4 days a week working 

on songs, There are also plans for 

a new Cockney Rejects album, 

which I am well excited about! 

NEG: I understand Toy Dolls 

have been busy with touring, do 

you have any tours planned for the 

North East? 

Olga: The last UK tour was 2022, 

which included South Shields, 

my home town incidentally! 

We had a great time, we also 

played Manchester, Edinburgh & 

London, everywhere was sold out, 

so we can’t complain, though the 

UK music press never mentioned 

or reviewed anywhere! As usual! 

Ha! Anyways, we may be back 

after the next album is released, 

lets see! 

NEG: Where can we find out 

more about the Toy Dolls? 

(Websites, social media etc). 

Olga: Here ya go: 

www.thetoydolls.com 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

TheToyDollsOfficial 

https://www.instagram.com/ 

michaelolgaalgar/ 

NEG: Olga, thank you very 

much for speaking to NE Guitars 

Magazine and we wish you luck in 

the future. 

Olga: Thanks so much for the 

In Focus - The Toy Dolls 

opportunity! Greetings to the 

north east! 

So, we add Olga and The Toy 

dolls to the NE Guitars Hall of 

Fame and I have to say it has 

been a total pleasure to feature 

these guys. As Olga has pointed 

out, there is plenty of social 

media, information, music and 

other great stuff for you all to get 

involved with. 

We all need a little punk in our 

lives to exorcise the demons and 

let our inner person free itself and 

who better to do it with than The 

Toy Dolls. 


VARIETY 

CORNER 

DANIEL 

TAYLOR 

So welcome to our new 

feature called Variety 

Corner. This is where we 

combine our talented 

variety stars with their 

guitar skills and music. 

For our first month, we 

are very privilleged and 

proud to feature stage 

and screen star, singer/ 

songwriter/ guitarist, not 

too mention star of the 

show, The Very Best of 

Tommy Cooper. Daniel 

spoke to us recently and 

told us of his rise to fame. 

Article Daniel Taylor & Paul George 

Images courtesy of Daniel Taylor 

As well as being a star of the 

stage and screen, Daniel 

Taylor has established 

himself as a force to be reckoned 

with, with a guitar in his hand. So 

much so that he graced the stage 

of Glastonbury this year. Well, 

we had a chat with him shortly 

after and asked him about his 

incredible career and his music. 

NEG: So Daniel, where did it all 

begin? 

DT: Well, school didn’t really 

know what to do with me. 

They put me on a YTS, one of 

those youth training schemes. 

Remember the days of Margaret 

Thatcher and her YTS. I was 

always alright at drama at school 

but I only really took drama 

because I couldn’t run fast because 

I had bad asthma at the time. But 

I did drama and then after that 

getting involved with this sort of 

YTS, they ended up transferring 

me to a theatre, the Gateway 

Theatre in Chester for my second 

year. My YTS was in technical 

stage management. 

I got involved with a youth 

theatre. It wasn’t really that youth 

because I think the average age 

was probably around 16, 17, 

upwards. I wasn’t particularly 

academic. I couldn’t really read 


Variety Corner - Daniel Taylor 

brilliantly. Anyway, I got into 

this technical stage management, 

learned to be an ASM, an assistant 

stage manager at the YTS, it was 

brilliant. I was very lucky in that 

respect. But while all this was 

going on, I got involved with a 

youth theatre. And I was with 

the youth theatre for three years 

and everyone that was on this 

youth theatre seemed to be sort of 

gravitating towards London and 

drama school. And I followed suit. 

Then in 1992, I got into drama 

school in London, which was 

incredible really, when I think 

how unacademic I was when I first 

started. I think I was one of the 

only people to have lost a part, I 

couldn’t understand old English. 

I think we were doing the nativity, 

the first production I did for them 

and the part was taken off me and 

I was given the part of an angel. I 

think I had eight lines. And yeah, 

it was a difficult time for me to 

start with. 

Then I ended up at drama school 

in London at a place called 

Webberduck which was the 

Academy of Dramatic Arts. 

I was there for three years 

It was a very renowned college. 

It’s been around for I think, over 

a hundred years. Originally a 

singing school. And yeah, it was 

a very exciting year. You know, 

there was a lot of people that have 

gone on to do incredibly well in 

my year as well. 

I left drama school and I went 

straight into my first job. I was 

playing a Russian footballer in a 

series called Ellington and I had 

to learn Russian. It was about this 

sport promoter. And from there 

on in, I then went on to my next 

job which was called ‘Game On’ 

which was another TV series. 

Then I went into ‘The Bill’. 

I did ‘The Bill’ twice. Then 

went to Brookside. I did stints on 

Cardiac arrest, and then by about 

2000, I had an audition for the 

musical ‘Blood Brothers’. I went 

over to Bill Kenwright’s office and 

I did my audition. I was originally 

up for the Cleveland teacher 

and they told me to go away and 

come back and read for the part 

of Sammy. So I went away and I 

went looking for a script. 

And Sammy wasn’t in there. 

Sammy was only in the schools 

edition. So I called my agent. 

I said, oh, I don’t think this is 

a very big part. He said I think 

you’ve got the wrong script Dan. 

So then I went and found the right 

script and went for the audition 

again and I got the part and I went 

on a 18 month tour. 

And then I did another few tours 

after that. And then I took about 

a year away from it. And then 

I went into the West End to the 

Phoenix theatre. Which I did for 

about two and a half years in the 

West End. 


VARIETY 


But while all this was happening, 

I was writing music. I’ve been 

writing songs since I was around. 

13 years of age. I wasn’t very good 

at reading books but my mum 

used to read a lot of poetry to me. 

And my granddad used to write 

a lot of poetry about the First 

World War and the trenches. And 

so I got into sort of poetry. This 

always stayed with me really. 

So this whole time I was always 

writing songs quietly. And I think 

it was more of a cathartic thing. 

I carried that on. 

So then this whole time I was 

lucky when I did Blood Brothers. 

I went and did lots of different 

plays and other musicals. 

But that was the sort of game 

changer for me. 

And it opened a lot of doors. 

It also opened the door into 

producing. And it was with ‘The 

Very Best of Tommy Cooper’, 

the Tommy Cooper show that 

I approached a theatre on my 

travels and managed to get it in 

there. This was after taking ‘The 

Very Best of Tommy Cooper’ to 

the Edinburgh Fringe. It was a 

three-hander. It was a celebration 

of his life, how he met his wife, all 

his auditions for the BBC. It was a 

celebration of his journey with 

the backing of the Tommy Cooper 

estate. 

And while all this is happening, 

I was starting to produce shows 

up in Liverpool, my home city. 

And I was sourcing locally, when 

I say locally, sort of, as far as 

Manchester, across North 

East Wales. I then went on to 

shows like something about 

George, the George Harrison’s 

story. I did ‘Lennon Through a 

Glass Onion’, which is a one-man 

show where I played John Lennon. 

It went to 10 countries, opened in 

Liverpool, finished in LA. 

And John Lennon’s widow was 

involved with that Yoko Ono. 

And while all this has been 

happening, I was always doing 

gigs. And I used to do gigs with 

my own music at a place called 

the 12-bar club in London on 

Denmark St. And I’d been in a 

band a few years before. I’d been 

in a Mod Rock band in London 

called Casino and I’d played a lot 

of these venues before. Casino 

was a band I was in for about three 

years in London as a student. 



I wrote quite a few songs. ‘The 

party is over’ is the one that seems 

to get a lot of airplay, most notably 

on Radio 2, only recently. And 

that’s under Danny Taylor. But 

I’ve got an album which is coming 

out, which is being produced at 

the Glass Studios in Birkenhead 

and has been produced by Gary 

Murphy, who’s a very well-known 

guitarist up on Merseyside, 

probably one of the finest 

guitarists of his generation. We 

started it in lockdown, the album’s 

called ‘Sonny Days’. 

And while all that’s going on, I’ve 

got Tommy Cooper, which since 

the lockdown, I made COVIDfriendly. 

So it’s only a one-man 

show now. And last year on a 42 

day tour of the UK, we went via 

Glastonbury, which was billed as 

one of their top 10 shows to see. 

And the show was invited back 

again this year. And this year 

they said, we want you to come 

and play as well. So I’ve now gone 

there as Tommy Cooper and as a 

musician. 

could be Kenny Rogers you know, 

Kris Kristofferson, any of those 

things. And I think for me, really, 

I think it’s either good or it’s 

bad. And I just like good music 

and I could go on, it could be 

house music, could be rap, could 

be classical, it could be anything 

because I’ve never wanted to sort 

of limit myself. But I guess if 

you’re talking about music that 

really interested me, I would start 

off with the Beatles and all that 

early stuff. I think for bands that 

really touched me, that made the 

market that spoke for me, was 

probably The Jam or The Clash. 

All of those types of bands. I 

think people like Paul Weller 

and people like that and the 

Sex Pistols, I think they really 

connected with people in a way. 

So I think really what spoke for 

me was probably someone like 

Paul Weller. 

NEG: Tell us about the guitar 

side of you. What guitars are you 

using? 

NEG: I’m really interested in the 

music side of things. What’s your 

influences around music? 

DT: Well, I suppose it’s quite 

eclectic really. It’s, of course, being 

a scouser and growing up at the 

sort of in the same area, my dad 

knew John Lennon, knew of him 

and people like that. I think 

the Beatles were obviously a big 

influence. But I think before 

that, it’s probably Irish folk and 

Country & Western. A lot of what 

my dad used to listen to. I used to 

really enjoy Glen Campbell. You 

know, but then I could be listening 

to the Dubliners the next time, 

you know, or I could be listening 

to Merle Haggard. You know, I 


VARIETY 


I’ve just finished ‘Something about 

George’ the George Harrison story. 

And I took my forever guitar on 

that tour. I was absolutely terrified. 

But that’s a D28 Martin. I’ve got a 

Takamine and I’ve got a few little 

tatty ones. I say tatty ones, but 

they’re just, you know, 50 quid, 

whatever. But they’ve been set up in 

a way that they just sound fantastic, 

you know. There’s a good luthier 

not far from where I live, he’s just 

done wonders with them. You don’t 

need to spend a fortune to get the 

best sound, but I did. I did want to 

get a Martin guitar. It was a dream 

to have a Martin guitar and I was 

lucky enough in the lockdowns 

that my other half was willing to 

put some money towards it. I look 

after that guitar better than I look 

after myself. I’ve just had to take it 

to Glastonbury to do this gig. So, 

you can imagine leaving that in the 

van in Glastonbury. But yeah, the D 

Martin, the D28 Martin is the guitar 

that I use at the minute. And I’ve got 

a Takamine as well G series. 

NEG: So, you’re just recently back 

from Glastonbury. What’s coming up 

for the rest of the year in your future? 

DT: Yeah. We’ve got a 15-day tour 

of ‘The Very Best of Tommy Cooper’ 

which opens somewhere down near 

Broadstairs, Southend. But there’s a 

tour. You can actually go on a site, 

‘The Very Best of Tommy Cooper’. 

And there’s a Facebook page. You can 

go to danieltaylorproductions.co.uk, 

all the information’s on there. 

I’ve also got an album, which I was 

telling you about before, called 

‘Sonny Days’, named after my 

film, Sonny Days, which has been 

produced at Glass Studios and 

Birkenhead, as we speak. It’s 20 years 

of work, that is a lot of that. So, I’m 

throwing everything out there now, 

I’ve been writing this stuff for years, 

and I’ve literally been putting it out 

there. So, I’ve got that going on. And 

then, of course, Panto this Christmas. 

I will be at the Castle Theatre, 

Wellingbrough. I do Panto every 

year. This year I’m playing Captain 

Hook in Peter Pan. 

NEG: How can we find out more 

about what you do? 

DT: danieltaylorproductions.co.uk 

and if you go on Instagram, it’s 

Daniel Taylor music or Daniel Taylor 

esq. Facebook is Daniel Taylor esq or 

Twitter is Daniel Taylor esq. 

NEG: Daniel thank you very much 

for your time and the very best of 

luck for the future. 



Image: Jordan Alexander 


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